I have found a good hotel rate on www.hoteldiscount.com for a week in Las Vegas. Has anyone had any problems booking this way. Any info much appreciated. Thanks.

I used them once and had no problem. The only drawback was their charging my credit card in advance (with no refund), so it's not a good idea if there's a possiblity of your plans changing.

I didn't like the prepay thing. Made your plans unflexible. Use only if discount is great !!

I have used them in the years past and found it OK but noticed the rates they offer these days are really not that great anymore.

Hi, Val!
When I was planning a holiday across the USA last year, I regularly compared prices on dozens of internet booking sites, and although www.hoteldiscounts.com was the most aggressive site -- it kept turning up under other suppliers' names -- I generally found their choices more restricted and their prices higher -- sometimes massively higher -- than ANY of the competitors.(I remember being partial to www.budgethotels.com). That said, I did find one fleeting bargain on hoteldiscounts, and it didn't occur anywhere else, and, by coincidence, it happened to be Las Vegas also (the MGM Grand for $65 for four of us, just before New Year). Like the last poster, I didn't much like the idea of paying "up front" -- most of the other booking sites don't demand this -- but all worked out okay. Still, the "pay first, no exchange or refund" policy would mean that it would have to be a VERY good price before I'd be tempted!

I've used hoteldiscount.com many times for several cities with no problems. Still, it's best to plan as far ahead as possible and shop like the dickens to determine whether their rates are the most favorable. Note also, that their rates go up and down, so you'll want to check off and on for a month or more if possible. I've also used Priceline and Hotwire with great success. In the overall, I've usually gotten the best rates with Priceline, the nicer and better located hotels with Hotwire. But, I favor hoteldiscount.com if I want to pick exactly where I'd like to stay for one reason or another.

Thanks for your replies. I think, Alan, that budgethotels.com seems to be the one to use but I will also check out Donna's recommendations. The info provided is much appreciated. Val.

HotelDiscount.com is my favorite website for finding hotels. Yet, I ALWAYS find better rate for the hotels I picked by calling those hotels directly or even using their website. I never booked hotels using HD.com

I use hoteldicount.com to shop and often book with them. Many times, I've found better rates through other resources, but never once by contacting the hotels directly. I've tried this over and over again, hoping to get the same rate for a room I can cancel and don't have to prepay. Whenever I plead "but your rate on hoteldiscount is only $x", I'm advised to book through hoteldiscount if I want that rate. Last Christmas, I booked a hotel in NYC directly through their website. Then, I watched hoteldiscount every week, then every day before we left. What do you know? A few days before our departure, the hoteldiscount rate dropped to 20% less than the hotel's online rate (which I grabbed immediatel).

We've used it several times and have had no problems at all. The previous posters have outlined the positive and negative aspects. Since cancellations and changes become a bit more complicated, you should be very sure about what you are booking. Also, it is NOT always the lowest rate -- you still need to shop around. I've found www.quikbook.com to be a good site that can frequently beat the rates of hoteldiscount.com (a.k.a. Hotel Reservations Network)with no pre-pay.

Priceline and hotwire are a different can of worms and if you are more flexible about the exact property you are willing to stay at, those sites can produce some fantastic deals.

The Six Continents group (Holiday Inn/Crown Plaza/Inter-Continental) is now saying they will directly offer the lowest internet rate via their site and they are offering some pre-pay rates, etc. So far, I've not seen those rates being undercut. I've also seen Radisson beat rates offered on discount booking sites, but not always.

The bottom line is that www.hoteldiscount.com seems to perform reliably and if it is showing you the best rate you can find after comparing, my experience is that you can book with confidence that your room will be there under the terms you chose.

As for discounts popping up on short notice, that makes sense if the model of the hotel booking site involves them booking and paying for a number of rooms to "re-sell", vs. simply acting as a booking agent with no real inventory of their own. One obvious reason some sites can offer rooms "on sold-out nights" is that they hold inventory and so they are part of the reason the night is sold out.